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Lumintop has recently come out with a new series of 2xCR123A/1x18650 lights. In this review, I will be looking at the P16X – a two-stage tactical model. Lumintop has sent me two versions of this light; one with a step-down in max output after 5 mins, and one without this feature.

Specifications:

LED: CREE XM-L LED

Battery: 2 x CR123A / 2 x RCR / 1 x 18650

Operating Voltage: 2.8 - 10V

Max Output /Runtime : 600 lumens / 1.2 hours

Low Output / Runtime : 8 lumens / 90 hours

Beam Distance: 160 m

98% high-transparency tempered glass with anti-reflective coating

Aluminium Strike Bezel.

Excellent heatsinking

Aerospace aluminum body, Mil-Spec hard-anodized. O-ring Sealed.

High ductility steel clip

Rubber Combat Ring with anti-rolling design

Press for a momentary-on 8-lumen low beam; Press further for a momentary-on 600-lumen high beam; twist for constant-on low beam, twist further for constant-on high beam.

Although external appearance is similar to the Lumintop TD-15X, there are a number of significant build differences.

Anodizing is a standard flat black (presumed HA). There is no knurling to speak of, but flutes on the body and tailcap help somewhat with grip. The other design elements (i.e. head heatsink, clip, grip ring) help further. I found grip acceptable with the ring and clip installed, but would prefer some actual knurling.

Square-cut tailcap threads are anodized for lock-out at both the head and tail. Tailstanding is good. The P16X has lanyard attachment points in the tailcap.

There is a small spring in the head, so high-capacity flat-top 18650 cells should work fine.

The most distinctive aspect of this light is the tailcap – it uses a two-stage tactical design, with no clicky (i.e. press or tighten for Lo, press or tighten further for Hi). This is similar in concept to the Surefire L2-series lights. Scroll down to my UI section for a discussion.

Technically, the light can tailstand, but is quite unstable (not recommended).

For more information on the build and interface, please scroll down to my User Interface section to see a video review. I plan to offer these on new reviews from now on.

The P16X comes with a smooth reflector (OP), and uses a XM-L emitter. The emitters were well centered on my samples. Note although my samples both came with a Cool White emitter, Lumintop informs me that Neutral White will also be available as an option.

Which brings me to the white-wall beamshots. All lights are on Hi on 1x18650 (AW Protected 2200mAh), about ~0.75 meter from a white wall (with the camera ~1.25 meters back from the wall). For Cool White lights, I used the automatic white balance on the camera, to minimize minor tint differences. Daylight white balance for the Neutral White ED20.

The P16X has reasonable throw for this size light and reflector, but not as great as some others in the class.

The P16X uses a two-stage tactical twist-press tailcap, similar in function to the Surefire L2-series lights. There is no clicky switch on the light.

To activate the light with a constant output, tighten the tailcap until the Lo mode comes on. Tighten further to activate the Hi mode. Loosen to return to the Lo, loosen further to turn off the light

Alternatively, if the light is in Lo mode, you can press the tailcap button for momentary Hi. When you release the button, the light returns to Lo. If you unscrew the tailcap just enough to completely turn off the light, a soft-press will give you Lo output, and a hard press will give you Hi output. Unscrew the tailcap a little further, and a press will only give you the Lo mode. Unscrew even further, and a press will not activate the light (i.e. the light is locked out).

Something new I'm trying out - please see my video review below for more information on build and user interface:

Although recorded in 720p, YouTube has reduced the video to 480p max, 360p default. Once the video is running, you can click on the 360p icon in the lower right-hand corner, and select the higher 480p option.

No Strobe/PWM

There no evidence of PWM on any mode on the P16X. There is no strobe mode.

Testing Method:

All my output numbers are relative for my home-made light box setup, a la Quickbeam's flashlightreviews.com method. You can directly compare all my relative output values from different reviews - i.e. an output value of "10" in one graph is the same as "10" in another. All runtimes are done under a cooling fan, except for any extended run Lo/Min modes (i.e. >12 hours) which are done without cooling.

Effective November 2010, I have revised my summary tables to match with the current ANSI FL-1 standard for flashlight testing. Please see http://www.sliderule.ca/FL1.htm for a description of the terms used in these tables.

On 1x18650, the P16X is comparable in max output to the ED20 and other general purpose lights in this class. On 2xRCR/CR123A, max output increased by ~20%. Throw is reasonable for the class, consistent with the size head/reflector on the P16X.

Output/Runtime Comparison:

Like many lights in this class, the P16X steps down from max output after 5 mins runtime. Lumintop sent me a second sample without this step-down feature, but I am not clear if they plan to offer this version as a seaparate option.

Frankly, there isn’t much difference on 1x18650, as the direct-drive pattern of the “no step-down” version is pretty similar overall to the standard step-down version. On 2xRCR/CR123A there is a clearer difference, with a noticeable runtime advantage to the step-down version.

Light could be somewhat slippery when wet, as the body lacks traditional knurling.

Light is very wobbly when tailstanding.

Preliminary Observations

The P16X is something of an intermediate light – larger and with better throw than the ED20 "backup", but without all the bells and whistles of the higher-end TD15-X. Max output on the P16X is also somewhat intermediate.

What is distinctive is the interface – the P16X offers a two-stage tactical tailcap, which functions just like the Surefire L2-series lights. This is a good design for a two-stage tactical light, in my view.

The rest of the overall design and feature set is reasonable for the class. That said, I would like to see some actual knurling on the light, and a stainless steel bezel ring would be good (although you could argue black better fits with its “tactical” aesthetic). Build is certainly reasonable, but I prefer the higher-end (and likely more expensive) TD15-X.

Lumintop’s output specs seem slightly overstated for Hi output, but quite believable for Lo. The output on Lo could be a bit higher in my view (i.e. 8 lumens is bit low for a two-stage-only light). Runtime specs seem quite conservative, at least for 18650 (note that I use the older 2200mAh 18650 cells in my testing). On Hi, overall efficiency is at the lower end of most XM-L lights I’ve tested, but still acceptable for the class.

Lumintop sent me two versions of the light – one with a step-down feature at 5 mins on Hi, and one without. I understand that they plan to offer both versions for sale. Note there isn’t really huge difference on 18650, due to the direct-drive pattern on the version without step-down. On fully-regulated 2xCR123A and 2xRCR, it really comes down to the extra runtime you get on the step-down version. Note that step-down features are becoming quite common these days, and are easily overcome by clicking off-on to restore full output.

Beam is reasonable for size reflector, with decent throw. I understand that they also plan to offer a Neutral White version (like the ED20 I have reviewed recently). Combined with the two circuit variants, that is certainly a lot of options to choose from. Pricing is also unknown at the present time, but I expect it to be intermediate to the ED20 and TD15-X.

To my mind, the most distinctive feature of this light is the two-stage tactical tailcap. I don’t think I’ve seen this outside of Surefire lights, and am glad to see it here. Those of you looking for a tactical light may want to consider the P16X, in one of its circuit or emitter tint variants.

Great review. I really like your new video section, your dialogue, pace and content are spot on. Very informative and to the point (not too long). It adds another dimension to your reviews that I think a lot of people, me included, will appreciate.

Great review. I really like your new video section, your dialogue, pace and content are spot on. Very informative and to the point (not too long). It adds another dimension to your reviews that I think a lot of people, me included, will appreciate.

Originally Posted by candle lamp

The video makes me understand the light more easily and it's very helpful.

Thanks. Been thinking about doing these for awhile, but the video mode on my Canon S5 is not ideal (i.e. low resolution, forward facing mic, etc.). Recently upgraded my phone, and now have an 8 megapixel camera that does 720p with H264 compression. Sound quality is ok. Main problem is YouTube transcodes it down to 360p by default (although 480P is available for viewing).

I plan to keep doing the videos for demonstrating the build and UI (often easier to show than describe in words). That way, I will be able to keep these down to 3-4 mins per light. They aren't intended to replace the full review, just provided a clearer overview of form and function.

That's just dust - it is most noticeable in the macro shots than in real life. It's harder to get rid of the dust with rubber, as the material is "grippy".

And for that reason, I personally prefer it as a grip ring. It provides excellent grip, but also some give (i.e. so you won't rip the skin off your fingers if you try to force the light out of your hand). I guess it depends on how much absolute resistance you want - a metal ring won't give at all, if its securely fastened.

I have just recieved my Lumintop ED20 and there is no mention of the LED tint (neutral white / cool white) on the packaging. How would I find out what LED I have ?

If you are familiar with tints, you will be able to tell from the beam, or by looking at the emitter phosphor (neutral is warmer). Otherwise, you would need to compare it to a known cool white or neutral white light. I suspect it is likely to be cool white, if unlabelled.